Shoe Drying Rack

ABSTRACT

A drying rack for shoes for use in a clothes dryer is disclosed. The rack has two pieces, a bracket for holding the shoes and a strip for supporting the bracket inside the dryer compartment. Shoes are supported against the dryer door. The strip fastens to the bracket and slips between the door and frame of the dryer when the dryer door is closed. A block on the strip abuts the door and frame of the dryer and prevents the rack from falling off of the door.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims priority on prior filed U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/049,063, filed Sep. 11, 2014 and incorporates thesame by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of household appliances andmore particularly relates to a rack for use in domestic or industrialclothes dryers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shoes get wet. Drying them traditionally takes time as the complexstructure of today's shoes presents various layers and permeabilityissues for proper air flow. One way to accelerate the drying of shoes,in particular but not exclusively athletic shoes, is to put them in adryer. However, when doing so, the shoes are jostled about the interiordrum of the machine, often causing damage to the shoes or machine andalso risking the shoes contacting and opening the door of the dryer,disrupting the drying cycle. To this end, many different approaches havebeen developed to contain shoes within the confines of a dryer drumwithout the jostling of free falling shoes. One common method was tosecure individual shoes on a holder that was secured within the drum,usually by magnetic attraction. Other ways included racks and bagssecured to the drum or door of the dryer, all used to securely holdshoes to avoid the jostling of the shoes freefalling gin the dryer.However, the utilization of each method thus far is time intensive,non-universal and complex—the assembly must be secured in some way tothe dryer and must be done in a manner that does not hinder the rotationof the dryer drum. A simpler and more easily actuated system is neededto efficiently dry shoes in a dryer.

The present invention is a rack that suspends on a strip and holds apair of shoes, like athletic shoes, against the door of a dryer during adrying cycle. As the shoes are suspended, air is more efficientlyallowed to flow around the shoes and they are not subject to thejostling of being free in a dryer drum. The rack is secured by placing asecurement block located upon the strip on the outside of the dryer doorwhile the strip passes around the door, between the gasket and dryer,and suspends the rack while the block is nestled against the door crack.

The present invention represents a departure from the prior art in thatthe drying of the present invention allows for easy installation andremoval of the rack while simultaneously allowing free airflow aboutshoes suspended in the dryer compartment, without the jostling of shoesthat accompanies free fall of the same in the dryer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofdrying racks, this invention provides a suspended drying rack for shoes.As such, the present invention's general purpose is to provide a new andimproved drying rack that is easily installed and removed from a dryerwhile also promoting free airflow about shoes being dried.

To accomplish these objectives, the drying rack may comprise a bracketand a strip. The bracket may be a split structure with two branches thathold one shoe each. The strip may connect adjustably to the rack portionand then slip between the door and frame of the dryer. A stabilizingblock on the end of the strip then is positioned exterior of the doorproximate the crack between the frame and dryer door. Between the weightof the shoes and the stabilizing block, the rack and associated shoesare suspended against the dryer door throughout a drying cycle. Theadjustable strip may also be fixedly connected to the bracket and thestabilizing block may be adjustably connected to the strip, therebyaffording the same adjustability as previously described with analternate structure.

The more important features of the invention have thus been outlined inorder that the more detailed description that follows may be betterunderstood and in order that the present contribution to the art maybetter be appreciated. Additional features of the invention will bedescribed hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claimsthat follow.

Many objects of this invention will appear from the followingdescription and appended claims, reference being made to theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein likereference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, itis to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applicationto the details of construction and the arrangements of the componentsset forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced andcarried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a rack according tothe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the rack of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective of a bracket used in the rack of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the bracket of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the bracket of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the bracket of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the bracket of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a rear elevation of the bracket of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the bracket of FIG. 4, taken along lineA-A.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation of the strip utilized in the rack of FIG.1.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the strip of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the strip of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a close-up view of the strip of FIG. 10, taken in circle B.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an alternate rack also embodying thepresent invention

FIG. 15 is a close-up view of the stabilizing block used in the rack ofFIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a front elevation of the bracket used with the rack of FIG.14.

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the bracket of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of an embodiment of the present invention,installed in a dryer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, the most preferred embodiments ofthe drying rack is herein described. It should be noted that thearticles “a,” “an,” and “the,” as used in this specification, includeplural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

With reference to FIG. 18, the rack 100 has two components: a bracket110 and a strip 120. The bracket 110 is the portion which holds theshoes while strip 120 secures the rack 100 to the dryer 200.

One embodiment of a bracket 10, in FIGS. 1-9, is a trident-shapedconstruction with two lateral prongs 12 and a central support prong 14.Lateral prongs 12 extend outward from base 13, preferably with someelement of a curve to them, and each supports one shoe when the rack 100is in use. The support prong 14 extends vertically between the lateralprongs 12 and is generally trough-shaped. Two bulbous nubs 18 extendinto support prong 14. Base 13 presents a transverse slot 16 directly inline with support prong 14.

One embodiment of a strap 20, as is shown in FIGS. 10-13, has a thin,elongated tongue 22 with a thick block 26. Block 26 ideally has someform of handle, like ring 28, for ease of manipulation. Tongue 22features a plurality of keyed slots 24, each with a wide head 23 and anarrow neck 25. Between the head 23 and neck 25 is a throat 27. In use,as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, strap 20 is inserted into support arm14 and threaded through the slot 16. Keyed slots 24 are positioned overnubs 18 and nubs 18 are positioned therein. The head 23 of the keyedslots 24 fit over the bulbous head of each nub 18. The bracket 10 isthen pulled downward so that throats 27 of the keyed slots 24 abut thebulbous nubs 18 and, with some force, allow passage of the nubs 18 intothe neck portions of the keyed slots 24. In so doing, the bulbous nubs18 are held in place against jostling that may occur while the dryer isrunning.

Another embodiment of the rack is shown in FIGS. 14-17. The bracket 30of this embodiment is identical to the first except that it features across-piece 38 in the central support prong 34 in place of nubs (FIGS.16, 1 7). Strap 40 is secured about this cross-piece 38 (FIG. 14).Support block 46 may then be adjustable upon the strap 40 to providelength adjustability to fit different dryer models. Any block structurewhich will allow for a releasably secure hold may be used, such as thedepicted buckle in FIG. 15.

In use then, as shown in FIG. 18, rack 100 is positioned so that it willreside generally and centrally against the dryer door 210 and a pair ofshoes is positioned on the two lateral prongs of the bracket 110. Thestrap 120 is threaded around the door of the dryer 200 such that theblock 126 is abutting the door 210 of the dryer and its frame 220. Forthe first disclosed embodiment, once the dryer door 210 is shut, block126 co-operates with the shoes to maintain a tension between the bracket110 and strap 120 and keep the two pieces assembled. With the seconddisclosed embodiment, the strap 120 is held in position while the block126 is tightened against the dryer 200

Construction of the rack may be of any suitably heat resistant materialMetals and other materials may be used; however, heat resistant polymersare preferred. Polymers may, of course be blended with stabilizers andother additives to obtain optimum performance. In the first disclosedembodiment, the use of the same polymer for both the bracket 10 andstrip 20 is sensible for simplicity, but it is not necessary and may beabandoned for cost-effectiveness and material performance. An idealpolymer for use in both the bracket 10 and strip 20 would be heatresistant up to 300° F. and still maintain resiliency and durabilitywhile resisting deformation, though heat resistance to only 250° F.would suffice for most modern, non-malfunctioning, dryers. The bracketwould need to hold the weight of at least one pair of wet shoes while inthe dryer environment. Such a polymer would also need to resist wear,cracking and degradation. Ideal polymers for this embodiment wouldinclude, but not be limited to: Hydrolytic stabilized polyamide 6,6;Polybutylene Terephthalate; Polyphthal Amide; and silicone elastomers.If different materials are chosen, as is in the second disclosedembodiment, the materials list of options greatly expands. The strap 40may be made of any flexible and heat resistant material, such as apolymer or a fabric, while the bracket 30 may be made of any of theabove disclosed polymers or more rigid ones, like ABS plastic, as theductility of the strap need not be considered in material choice.

The bracket 10, 30 may be constructed in any means known in the art toincrease durability while reducing weight. As can be seen in FIG. 8,structural ribs are provided. Likewise, a brace 19 may also be added tothe bracket 10, as is shown in FIG. 9. With proper material selection,the bracket 10 may be made thinner than is depicted in the figures, evento the point of being almost flat.

Dimensions for one example of a bracket and strap for use with theinvention is described herein. It should be noted that these dimensionsare merely an example of one manner to manufacture a bracket accordingto the present invention. Other dimensions are possible and will bedependent upon desired look, size and material of construction. Abracket may have a length of approximately 6 inches and a maximum widthof 4.5 inches, with a base of about 2 inches width and 0.75 inches inlength. Thickness of the bracket would range from 0.375 to 0.625 inches,with the central prong being tapered from the minimum to maximumthickness. Lateral prongs would branch off of the base in a slightlycurved fashion, having an R of about 12.0 inches. The strap may be about12 to 18 inches long with a thickness and width determined by thematerial f construction.

Although the present invention has been described with reference topreferred embodiments, numerous modifications and variations can be madeand still the result will come within the scope of the invention. Nolimitation with respect to the specific embodiments disclosed herein isintended or should be inferred.

What is claimed is:
 1. A shoe drying rack for a dryer having a frame anda door providing access to a dryer chamber, the rack comprising: a. ashoe holding bracket; and b. a support strip, capable of slippingbetween the door and a frame of the dryer and further comprising a blockon an exterior end; wherein the block resides proximate a joint betweenthe door and frame of the dryer when the rack is properly installed andprevents the rack from sliding off of the dryer door and further intothe dryer chamber.
 2. The shoe drying rack of claim 1, the support stripbeing removable from the shoe holding bracket.
 3. The shoe drying rackof claim 2, the support strip being manufactured from a polymer.
 4. Theshoe drying rack of claim 1, the bracket being manufactured from apolymer.
 5. The shoe drying rack of claim 4, the bracket furthercomprising a reinforcing insert within the polymer.
 6. The shoe dryingrack of claim 1, the strap further comprising a plurality of keyed slotsand the rack further comprising a plurality of bulbous nubs, such thatthe bulbous nubs fit in an equal number of keyed slots, thereby securingthe rack and the strap together.
 7. The shoe drying rack of claim 6, thekeyed slots further comprising a narrow throat such that force isrequired to pass the bulbous nubs from one area of the keyed slots toanother area thereof.
 8. The shoe drying rack of claim 1, the blockbeing adjustable in its position on the support strap and the supportstrap being fixedly mounted to the bracket.
 9. The shoe drying rack ofclaim 8, the strip being manufactured from at least one material fromthe set of materials consisting of fabric and polymer.
 10. The shoedrying rack of claim 8, the block being an adjustable buckle fastened tothe support strap.
 11. The shoe drying rack of claim 8, the bracketbeing manufactured from a polymer.
 12. The shoe drying rack of claim 11,the shoe holding bracket further comprising a reinforcing insert withinthe polymer.
 13. The shoe drying rack of claim 1, the shoe holdingbracket comprising three prongs extending from a common base, a centralprong being a connection structure for the strap.